Hogwarts Castle
The Hogwarts Castle is a vast location and home to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The castle contains 142 known staircases. =Floorplan= Below Ground Floor Chamber of Secrets Deep under the dungeons of Hogwarts is the Chamber of Secrets, it was created by Salazar Slytherin during the Middle Ages. The entrance is hidden in a bathroom on the second floor. Potions Classrooms One dungeon is large enough to accommodate a double class. It is colder in the dungeons than in the main castle. Dungeon Five is another Potions classroom. Slytherin Head's Office Adjacent to the aforementioned classroom. Severus Snape worked from here for many years. This room is filled with bizarre creatures in jars and a private stock of potion ingredients. Hermione Granger, Dobby and Barty Crouch Jr have broken into this office. Slytherin Common Room The entrance to the common room is a blank stone wall. To enter, one must give a password. It has a low ceiling and greenish torchlight. The common room is located partially under the lake. The password was 'Pure Blood' in Harry Potter's second year. Hufflepuff Common Room A room similar to a cellar, but not at all like a dungeon. It is a very cosy and welcoming place with yellow and black hangings, fat armchairs, and little underground tunnels leading to the dormitories, all of which have round doors like barrel-tops.http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/fansite_view.cfm?id=2 Kitchens Located directly under the Great Hall, down the same staircase that leads to the Hufflepuff Common Room. It contains tables identical to those in the Great Hall; food must simply placed on the tables in the kitchens, and it magically appears in the Great Hall. The kitchens are staffed by over 100 house-elves including Dobby, Winky and Kreacher. To gain access to the Kitchens, one must tickle the pear on a fruit portrait. '']] Ground Floor Entrance Hall Double oak doors which face west lead into the Entrance Hall. A wide marble staircase is opposite the front door. There is a broom closet in this hall. Two other staircases are in the hall - one leading to Hufflepuff Common Room and the Kitchens, while the other leads to the Dungeons. Also contained in the Entrance Hall are the four hourglasses which show current state of House Points. Receiving Room Off of the Entrance Hall is a small receiving room where guests presumably collect themselves after travelling to the castle. This is where the Deputy Headmaster convenes with first-year students before their Sorting. Great Hall The Great Hall is a large hall that contains a Staff table and four student dining tables: One for each House. The ceiling is enchanted such that it imitates the current weather or mood of the community. This area is used for communal eating, Apparition training, and some exams. Staff room A long, panelled room with mismatched, dark wooden chairs. There is a wardrobe which can become infested with magical creatures. (Usually Boggarts when Remus Lupin was teaching) Caretaker's Office An office containing files of student records and confiscated contraband. Argus Filch worked here for many years. Fred and George Weasley, Sirius Black and James Potter have entire drawers for their files on misbehaviour. The office contains well-oiled chains which were, at a time, used to punish students. Classroom Eleven The centaur Firenze taught Divination from this classroom.Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix First Floor History of Magic classroom This room contains a blackboard, through which Professor Binns, a ghost, enters at the start of class. Remus Lupin used this room when he taught Harry his Dementor lessons. Temporary Defence Against The Dark Arts Classroom This classroom was used by Professor Quirrell between the years 1991 and 1992 while the third floor corridor was out of bounds. Gryffindor Head's Office Up the marble staircase in the entrance hall and down a hallway. This office was occupied by Professor McGonagall for many years. Second Floor Charms Classroom Filius Flitwick used this classroom for many years and was considered as a classroom of great activity. Girl's Lavatory - Out of Order Moaning Myrtle haunts this bathroom, which is also where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is hidden. Entrance to Headmaster's Office A doorway leading to the spiral staircase that goes up to the office. A password must be spoken to gain entrance. The entrance is guarded by stone gargoyles. Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor's Office When Gilderoy Lockhart was the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, this room was filled with pictures of himself. Under Remus Lupin, it contained creatures that were to be used in class. Alastor Moody, who was actually an imposter at the time, filled it with Dark Detectors and Foe Glass. Dolores Umbridge had pink frilly doilies and china plates painted with gambolling kittens. Third Floor One-Eyed Witch Passage Leads from Hogwarts to Honeydukes in Hogsmeade. Trophy Room and Armour Gallery Housing awards, trophies, cups, plates, shields, statues, and medals, which are kept in a crystal glass display. This room also contains a list of Head Boys and Head Girls. Prominently displayed are Hogwarts Awards for Services to the School, with known recipients being Tom Marvolo Riddle (For supposedly catching the opener of the Chamber of Secrets), Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley (For removing the threat of the Chamber of Secrets and the rescue of Ginny Weasley). Third Floor Corridor - Off Limits/ Main Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom Off limits during the 1991-1992 school year, with an entrance to the Philosopher's Stone Chamber. This was later made the main Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom after the Philosopher's Stone was destroyed. Hospital Wing The hospital wing contains several beds and the Nurse's Office. Fourth Floor Library Containing tens of thousands of books. The Restricted Section has books with information deemed dangerous for common knowledge. Students must gain permission from a professor to browse this section. Food is not permitted in the Library. Mirror of Erised room This room is where the Mirror of Erised was kept from September to December 1991. Fifth Floor Prefects' Bathroom Hidden in the fifth door to the left of a statue of Boris the Bewildered. The door opens when given the correct password. There is large pool-like bath and many taps for different types of baths. Sixth Floor Boy's Lavatory There is a passage leading from this bathroom to the seventh floor. Seventh Floor There are entrances to Gryffindor Tower and the North Tower on this floor. Ravenclaw Head's Office Thirteenth window from the right of the west tower. Room of Requirement The Room of Requirement can only be found by someone in desperate need. One must walk around the corridor three times, passing a portrait of Barnabas the Barmy, all the while concentrating on what he or she needs. When the room reveals itself, it will contain the solution to that need. Albus Dumbledore found the room filled with chamber pots while searching for a bathroom. Towers North Tower Divination classes occur here. The Divination Teacher's Office is also in this tower. The entrance consists of a ladder leading through a trap door. Headmaster's Tower The Headmaster's office is inside this tower. The entrance, as previously mentioned, is located on the second floor. This office is a round room with windows, decorated with portraits of previous Headmasters including Dilys Derwent and Phineas Nigellus Black. Many magical instruments are kept here, such as the Sorting Hat and the Pensieve. Gryffindor Tower One may gain entrance through the Fat Lady's portrait by giving the correct password. This is the location of the Gryffindor Common Room and dormitories. The common room has a fireplace and armchairs. There are separate dormitories for girls and boys, which are subdivided by year. Girls are permitted to enter the boys' dormitories, but boys cannot visit the girls', because the founders of Hogwarts felt that boys were less trustworthy than girls. West Tower The Owlery is at the top of West Tower. Ravenclaw Tower Located at the west side of the castle. This is home to the Ravenclaw Common Room and dormitories. There is a statue of Rowena Ravenclaw with a diadem on her head. To enter the common room one must answer a riddle posed by the eagle-shaped door knocker. Clocktower The Clocktower provides access to higher floors in the school and also has bells to signal the hours and class times. =The Grounds= Gamekeeper's Hut On the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Rubeus Hagrid lived here for many years. The Forbidden Forest Forbidden to students, as it home to a many dangerous and foreign creatures. Detentions are often held here. The Gamekeeper will frequent this area for various reasons. Greenhouses and Gardens There are at least three greenhouses where Herbology classes occur. Greenhouse three is restricted as it houses Venomous Tentaculas, Mandrakes, and other dangerous plants. The Lake Located on the south side of the castle. Magical creatures inhabit the lake, including a giant squid, a colony of Merpeople, and grindylows. Quidditch Pitch Quidditch games and practices are held there. =See Also= *Covered Bridge *Viaduct =References= *Floorplan based based on a list created by the Harry Potter Lexicon http://www.hp-lexicon.org/. *